Balance of the World

Chapter 6: Kidnapped

Faolan stayed in the darkness of the forest near the shore of the Shae Sea. The moonlight glistened off the surface of the still water as he drew closer toward the beach. A song came to his ears, wordless and hypnotic, making him smile. He sat in the sand, leaned back against a huge rock sticking out of the sand, his spear at his side.

“Night comes upon Kalina and General Faolan comes to the sea to gaze at the moonlight,” a female voice sang from the water.

Faolan chuckled as he watched a figure crawl up the beach and toward him. Its long, black hair glistened in the moonlight and he couldn’t wait to get a glimpse of its solid hazel eyes. It crawled forward from the water, its scaly skin sparkled in the soft light as it drew closer. Faolan didn’t move as it came directly toward him, its tail flapping on the sand and it pinned him against the rock. It lifted its head and stared at Faolan.

“Galina,” he grinned. “Been waiting long?”

“For you, I would wait for all eternity,” Galina grinned, showing her sharp teeth. “What news from our Mistress?”

“You won’t believe this,” Faolan smirked. “The Enuria is here.”

“Incredible,” Galina breathed with wide eyes. “What does she want us to do about it?”

“She gave no orders,” Faolan explained. “But I would assume she wants the Savior dead. Why else would she tell us about her?”

“Who, exactly, would I be looking for if I were to take care of her?” Galina wondered, leaning against him and running a hand along his chin.

“A human girl with red hair and ice blue eyes,” Faolan replied. “She’s traveling with General Elias Blackwood. He’s her Protector.”

“That Half Breed General is her protector?!” she breathed.

“Jealous, are we, my pet?” Faolan smirked.

“Of course not,” she retorted, leaning closer to his face. “You have always had my heart.”

“I know,” he murmured. “You have always had mine.”

He captured her lips, his eyes shut and she wrapped his arms around his neck and he rolled her onto her back, still kissing her, passionately. He pulled away slowly and howled into sky, making Galina laugh as he smiled down at her.

“How do you know what the Enuria looks like, my dear Hound?” Galina whispered, stroking Faolan’s cheek with her long, slender fingers.

“I saw her in the woods,” he explained through kisses to her neck. “She was with the Masked General, of course. She’s learned to use magic already.”

“What is her name?” she asked, pulling him closer.

“Zoey Walsh.”

Morning...

“Zoey!” Felix shouted in irritation. “That is not what I wanted you to do!”

He marched toward her as she sat on all fours on the ground. The group was outside in the woods, Elias, Chanel and Quinto watching as Felix coached Zoey on her new power. Before Felix could get too close to her, Elias knelt next to Zoey and helped her up as she breathed heavily.

“Are you alright, Zoey,” Elias whispered.

“I’m fine,” she lied in a pant. “I think I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Now you know what happens when you use a spell like that!” Felix snapped. “You weaken yourself! I told you, you weren’t ready for a deconstruction spell, and you do it anyway! I wanted a simple levitation spell!”

“But I’ve done that!” Zoey shot back.

“You’ve made yourself fly, you have not made anything fly yet,” Felix corrected. “You are not powerful enough for certain spells.”

“Brother,” Chanel called, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Perhaps you should let Quinto teach her now?”

Felix sighed in irritation, throwing his hands up and snapping, “Fine. Maybe someone who hasn’t listened to me either will be able to get through to her!”

He stormed off in a huff and Chanel shook her head at him as he headed back into the house.

“Don’t mind him,” Chanel told Zoey. “He gets angry when things don’t go his way. I’m just so upset that you have to leave!”

“So am I,” Zoey smiled.

“I’ll go saddle Phantom,” Elias whispered into her ear and made sure she could stand well on her own before he walked away. Zoey shivered and watched his walk away.

“You certainly like him, don’t you?” Chanel smirked, standing next to her.

Zoey turned to Chanel with a blush staining her cheeks and she choked, “What?”

“It’s a bit obvious,” Quinto chimed in, coming up next to Chanel and wrapping an arm around her waist, making her jump with a start. “Your eyes light up when he’s around and you blush even when he’s mentioned.”

“The way Chanel is with you?” Zoey smirked.

They both looked to the red head with wide eyes before Chanel cast her eyes down with a deep blush and Quinto looked to the girl at his side. He took her chin in his thumb and index finger to gently tug her gaze up to his.

“I thought you felt something,” he murmured. “But I wasn’t sure.”

“From the moment I saw you,” she breathed.

Without another word, he planted his lips to hers as she wrapped her arms around him as his arms wrapped around her as well. Zoey couldn’t help but smile, but the moment didn’t last. Quinto was suddenly yanked from Chanel’s arms when he was tackled to the ground at Zoey’s feet. Felix straddled Quinto and punched him square in the jaw then continued punching him in the stomach as he tried to fight back.

“Stay away from my sister!” Felix shouted between punches.

“What the blazes—?”

Zoey jumped and looked to her left to see Elias holding onto Phantom’s reins and frowning down at the fighting wizards.

“What have I missed?” he wondered.

“You’ll find out soon,” Zoey assured him.

“Caith!” Quinto shouted and Felix went flying off of him to allow the wizard general to scramble to his feet when Felix hit the ground a yard away from him. Felix got to his feet and both prepared for more but the girls stepped between them just as Felix was about to charge Quinto.

“That is enough!” Zoey shouted as she faced Quinto, Chanel facing her brother.

“Felix,” she snapped. “Leave Quinto alone!”

“He’ll only use you for his own sick purposes, Chanel!” Felix shot back. “He’s nothing but a sweet talker! You mean nothing to him!”

“That’s not true!” Quinto growled as Chanel shook her head, desperately.

“Shut it a second, Quinto,” Zoey advised, stopping him from marching closer to Felix.

“Where’s his proof?!” Quinto snapped. “I’ve never even had a relationship with any female! How would he know?!”

“You flirt too much with any female, Quinto!” Felix shot out.

“I do not!”

“Stop it!” Zoey shouted.

“I love him!” Chanel finally shouted above them.

Silence followed as the four stared at her in shock, but she only glared at her brother.

“I love him, Felix,” she breathed again.

“No,” Felix breathed, shaking his head. “You’re too young. You couldn’t possibly know what love is.”

“Wake up, Felix,” she urged, desperately. “I’m not a child anymore. I’ve grown up.”

“You think I don’t know that?!” he snapped. “It kills me every day to see you a day older because I know you’re going to leave me! You’re my baby sister! You’re all I have now, and I won’t let you leave me!”

Chanel sighed in exasperation and marched closer to him to lift a hand and smack the back of his head, making him wince and stare at her with wide eyes.

“You think, after everything that’s happened, that I’m going to leave you alone?” she retorted. “I’m not going anywhere for now, big brother.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him close, causing Felix to hug her close in return.

“Now what?” Quinto whispered to Zoey.

“Go saddle your horse,” she advised with a shrug but Quinto nodded and headed toward his horse, past Elias who sighed and tapped an impatient foot on the ground as Zoey headed toward him as well.

“Zoey and Elias are leaving, brother,” Chanel whispered.

He nodded as they pulled away from each other and headed toward the two.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Felix muttered.

“I’m not,” Chanel smirked, making him give her a glare before she strode off to find Quinto.

“I’ll wait for you at the road,” Elias murmured to Zoey, knowing she would be saying her good byes.

Zoey nodded and Elias shook Felix’s hand before pulling Phantom in the direction of the road, which was several yards away.

“Chanel is…all I have,” Felix told Zoey.

“I heard,” Zoey nodded. “You don’t have to explain. I’m sure you love her very much and you don’t want her to get hurt.”

“I feel I owe you an explanation about what she was referring to,” he replied. “You see, after Eona was taken away, she’s the only person I have now.”

“Eona?” Zoey echoed with a frown.

“Elias doesn’t know…” Felix explained. “Eona and I…were lovers.”

“Zoey!”

She spun around to see Elias heading toward her.

“Quinto is waiting with the horses,” he explained then looked down at her in wonder at the look on her face and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she lied, shaking her shock away and turning back to Felix to shake his hand. “Thank you for everything, Felix.”

“I’ll see you again, I’m sure,” he smiled and nodded before they walked away.

Once they reached the rode, Quinto mounted his horse as Elias mounted his and Chanel hugged Zoey good bye, fiercely before Elias pulled her up and behind him. He gave a swallow when she wrapped her arms around him, but neither of them said nothing as they started down the road.

Zoey’s mind was spinning. She couldn’t believe Felix and Eona were lovers and couldn’t help but wonder at his wording when they spoke of her. They said she had been ‘taken away’ and spoke of ‘bringing her back.’ Where had she been taken? She knew Jellina had taken her from the discussion she’d heard the night before, but how could she bring her back? She had to stop thinking about it, or she knew it would drive her crazy the whole day.

That Night...

“Elias!” Eona shouted in the darkness. “Help me!”

She was being dragged away from him by Jellina who was laughing evilly.

“Eona! I’m coming!” Elias shouted, running toward her.

“Elias!” Zoey cried from behind him and he whirled around to see her being carried off by Rada. “Elias! Please!”

“Elias!” Eona called again. “Save me!”

Both of them were reaching for him, but he couldn’t save them both, as much as he desperately wanted to.

“Elias!” Zoey sobbed. “Please! Help me!”

“Zoey!” he called, heading toward her, but stopped and looked back. “No, Eona!”

The girls screamed his name and he couldn’t take it any longer. He clasped his hands over his ears, his fingers digging into his skull.

“Stop it! I can’t choose! I love you both! Be quiet!”

Elias’s eyes shot open as he gave a gasp that woke him up. He was lying on his back, drenched in a cold sweat with Zoey lying next to him, her head leaning against his chest. He, Zoey and Quinto had stopped for the night on their way to Quinto’s camp, and Elias had decided to stay as close as possible to Zoey to keep her safe.

That dream again. He had been having that dream for the past two nights. Eona and Zoey would be dragged off by his enemies so that he was left to choose which one to save. He would choose neither because choosing one over the other was too difficult. He loved them both.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes in frustration and exhaustion. It was still night and Zoey was thankfully asleep, hopefully having better dreams than he was. She snuggled closer to him and he saw her smile, slightly in her sleep, making him smile in return. He closed his eyes again, trying to sleep and praying he wouldn’t have any more nightmares.

“Elias,” Zoey whispered in her sleep, making him smile again. He’d found out some time ago that she would often talk in her sleep. She snuggled closer still and Elias found himself pulling her closer to him. “Elias…I love you.”

Elias’s eyes shot open and instantly tensed…waking Zoey. His gaze was shot to her when she stirred and groaned then looked up at him with sleepy eyes.

“Elias?” she frowned in wonder. “Are you alright?”

“O-Of course, Angel,” he lied. “Why would you think otherwise?”

“You’re awfully tense,” she noticed. “And you’re lying to me again.”

Erik swallowed but said nothing. He knew she would see through him. “You’ve been lying to me since we were at Felix’s place, haven’t you?”

Erik looked away from her, ashamed that he’d been caught but muttered, “Yes.”

“Why?” she wondered, making him sigh and look at her again.

“The questions you want me to answer about my past and the reason for this mask I wear, are not something you need to worry about right now,” he explained. “You must practice embracing your power to save Kalina, then perhaps, the other things will be revealed to you.”

“That’s just your fancy way of saying you don’t want to talk about it,” she replied, irritably.

“Because you need to focus on your fight with Jellina,” he insisted.

“No,” she snapped. “It’s because you’re afraid I’ll push you away.”

Elias shot a wide-eyed look of surprise at her as she stared back at him, angrily.

“Zoey, please,” he murmured, covering up his shock. “Leave it alone.”

Zoey couldn’t help the tears that began falling down her cheeks, making Elias’s heart clench in guilt, but when he moved to embrace her again, she pushed away from him and scrambled to her feet, fleeing the tent they were sleeping in. Elias called for her to stop and followed her, but she ran into the thicket of trees behind them.

What are you doing, you idiot?! she thought to herself. You have no clue where you’re going! You’ll never find your way back!

Her mind was screaming at her to stop, but her legs wouldn’t have it. She ran for what seemed like an eternity before tripping on something and falling flat on her face and sobbed into the ground. She heard a twig snap to her right and became silent, lying very still. She couldn’t make out anything in this darkness, even with a full moon shining down and slightly illuminating the forest. She screamed when she was pulled up roughly by her arms, struggling to be free. The thing lifted her into the air, its claws almost pierced her skin.

“Put me down!” she screamed, still struggling. The thing pulled her to its chest and wrapped its arms fully around her.

“So, we meet again, my pretty,” the thing growled in a deep voice, making her struggle even more.

“I don’t know what you are, but put me down!” she growled, kicking something that felt like its stomach. She didn’t care how big this thing was, she would fight for her life.

“Don’t you recognize me, deary?” it growled again then let out a loud howl, nearly deafening Zoey. “Maybe if I had Keiji with me you would recognize me, eh?”

Zoey froze and looked up at the thing with wide eyes and even in the moonlight she could see his amber, almost red eyes.

“Faolan…Aberdene,” she breathed in realization and he howled again.

With each scream and howl, Elias quickened his pace, his sword drawn and Quinto following him. He quickly led them to where he was sure Zoey had been, but there was nothing. Some leaves and twigs had been mashed down, along with some grass, but now they were gone, and they had took Zoey with them.

“Elias,” Quinto called, drawing the General’s attention to a tree Quinto was pointing to. There was a dagger stuck in the bark with a piece of parchment attached. Elias yanked it off and examined it.

If you wish to see your beloved Savior again, come to Castle Agaru Gurtha and give yourself up. No tricks, and come alone, or she dies.

“Who kidnapped her couldn’t have written this in a few seconds,” Quinto theorized. “This was planned. Who do you think left it?”

“Judging by the howls, I’d say Aberdene,” Elias replied, dropping the note to the ground and started searching the forest for clues. “But I doubt he was the one who planned this.”

“Jellina?” Quinto guessed, watching him.

“No,” Elias objected. “He wants to meet at Castle Agaru Gurtha. Uaine, the Carad Witch, lives there. She had to have planned this.”

“What will you do?”

“I’ll go get her.”

“And after that?”

“We go to Edan. My men are there, and no one should know we’re going there. You can come with us.”

“Elias, how are you going to get her out of there? How do you know they haven’t killed her yet?”

“They won’t kill her until I’m there to see it. It would be humiliating to see the one I was meant to protect murdered in front of me. That’s what they want.”

Elias sheathed his sword, and felt his fists clench.

“But they won’t get what they want.”

Sunrise...

“Are you completely daft?!” Uaine shouted at Faolan, who was now in his human looking form. “Why didn’t you just kill her?!”

“It will be done, believe me,” Faolan assured her. “I thought we could kill to birds with one stone. I wrote a note after you left me the message from Jellina. In case I failed yesterday, I told Blackwood to meet here and give himself up. When he arrives, we kill her and him.”

A grin spread across Uaine’s red lips and she nodded, “An excellent plan, General Aberdene.”

“My lady!” Rada called, entering the red throne room as he rubbed his hand. “The nuisance has been put in a cell.”

“What’s wrong with your hand?” Faolan frowned in wonder at him and Rada looked up at him.

“She bit me!” he snapped in disbelief.

“She is a feisty one, isn’t she?” Uaine scoffed, stepping closer to Rada and saying, “Perhaps I should pay her a visit myself?” She rested her arms on Rada’s shoulders and he studied her face as she asked, “Is she the one that hit you back in the tunnels?” Rada nodded and swallowed nervously at the beautiful Carad Witch being so close to him. “You will have your revenge soon enough.”

“And Blackwood?” Faolan wondered, causing Uaine to look at the werewolf general in question. “Who will take care of him?”

“Let me kill him, my lady,” Rada growled and she looked to him with a raised eyebrow of intrigue then smirked, sliding her hands to his chest.

“You truly hate him, don’t you?” she murmured.

“Passionately,” Rada growled.

She looked his face over before pushing away and striding toward Faolan. She stood in front of him, but faced Rada.

“When Blackwood arrives, Faolan will bring Zoey to this room, and you, Rada my sweet, will take care of him. I will rid us of the Enuria and Kalina will be Jellina’s and mine.”

She laughed evilly as the male generals smirked in triumph at each other. The plan was perfect.

Meanwhile...

Zoey sighed as she sat chained to the wall of her cell in the dungeon. It was red. Everything in this place was red. The chairs, the floors, the ceiling, the walls, even the bars to the cell and the chains were red. It was beginning to irritate her. She liked the color, but too much of it was making her eyes bleed.

“Doth thine eyes deceive me?”

Zoey jumped and looked through the bars to see a woman in red, but didn’t respond.

“The Enuria chained to a wall in the Castle Agaru Gurtha?” she continued, shaking her head shamefully. “You won’t be able to ‘save’ Kalina this way.”

Zoey had had enough and stood up slowly, glaring at her and demanded, “Who are you?”

“Oh, how rude of me!” the female laughed in false embarrassment and approached the bars to grip one of them lightly, her staff in her other hand. “I am Uaine, the Carad Witch.”

Zoey suddenly felt sick, but managed not to show it. She couldn’t believe she was being held hostage by a witch.

“I’m guessing you aren’t the one I have to fight?” Zoey asked, trying to will her stomach to settle from turning.

“Oh, no,” Uaine smiled, sadistically. “That’s my sister, Jellina.”

She’s lying, Zoey thought to herself, sensing it immediately. Why would she lie about having a sister?

“And I suppose it was Jellina who planned my kidnapping?” Zoey shot back.

“Actually, that was entirely General Faolan’s idea,” Uaine smirked.

“Why not just kill me and get it over with?” Zoey couldn’t help but wonder but kept her enraged tone.

“Inquisitive, aren’t we?” Uaine replied, raising an eyebrow at her. “You, my dear, are simply bait for now. But have no fear. You time will come.”

With that, Uaine gave an evil chuckle before bursting into laughter and turning to head out of the dungeon and Zoey allowed her shaking legs to collapse beneath her. She didn’t cry. She refused to cry. She had to think of a way to get out of this place. She guessed Elias would come for her, but she had to try to meet him halfway. She suddenly couldn’t fight the overwhelming urge to sing, even if it was a sad song. The melody floated through the hallowed cells and halls of the dungeon, reaching unexpected ears.

General Faolan stood around a corner, watching her and listening. This girl’s voice was more beautiful than any mermaid or siren song he’d heard. It was enchanting, soothing and he couldn’t help but think that she could give his Galina a run for her money.

Uaine, too, was listening. She’d made herself invisible and watched Faolan’s reaction to Zoey’s voice carefully. He was more entranced with her than she’d ever seen him with anyone. It was as she had feared. Zoey’s voice had more power than Zoey would probably ever realize and she knew now that this girl was going to be a challenging opponent for herself and Jellina.

Zoey’s sad song came to an end as she leaned her head back on the wall. Nothing. She still couldn’t think of anything to get herself out of here.

Slow, steady clapping made her jump and stare wide eyes in the direction of the sound outside her cell. Faolan came out of his hiding place and smirked at her as he clapped.

“Bravo, Enuria,” he murmured through the bars. “Well done. Really. You have a very pretty voice. Too bad I will have been the last to hear it, eh?”

He laughed and walked off and Zoey felt her stomach turn again. She had to get out. She couldn’t wait for Elias.